The threepence ( ga, leath reul ) or 3d
coin
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...
was a subdivision of the
pre-decimal Irish pound, worth of a pound or of a
shilling. literally means "half ", the being a sixpence coin worth about the same as the
Spanish (a quarter of a peseta). As with all other Irish coins, it resembled its British counterpart, as the Irish pound was pegged to the British pound until 1979.
Originally it was struck in
nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow ...
and was very hard-wearing. In 1942, as nickel became more costly, the metal was changed to
cupronickel
Cupronickel or copper-nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper that contains nickel and strengthening elements, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. (Monel is a nickel-copper alloy that contains a minimu ...
of 75%
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
and 25% nickel. The coin measured in diameter and weighed ; this did not change with the cupro-nickel coin. The coin was minted at the
Royal Mint starting from 1928, and ceased to be legal tender after
decimalisation on 31 December 1971. Ireland did not adopt the brass dodecagonal
threepenny coin that the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
used between 1937 and 1971.
The reverse design featuring an
Irish hare
The mountain hare (''Lepus timidus''), also known as blue hare, tundra hare, variable hare, white hare, snow hare, alpine hare, and Irish hare, is a Palearctic hare that is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats.
Evolution
The mountai ...
was by English artist
Percy Metcalfe
Percy Metcalfe, CVO, RDI (14 January 1895 Wakefield – 9 October 1970 Fulham Hospital, Hammersmith, London), (often spelled ''Metcalf'' without "e") was an English artist, sculptor and designer. He is recognised mostly for his coin designs a ...
. The obverse featured the
Irish harp
The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring grea ...
. From 1928 to 1937 the date was split either side of the harp with the name circling around. From 1938 to 1969 the inscription changed to on the left of the harp and the date on the right. In 1990 it was announced that the
decimal two-pence coin would be redesigned to incorporate the hare from the threepence,
but this plan was abandoned in the face of the imminent adoption of the
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
.
See also
*
£sd
£sd (occasionally written Lsd, spoken as "pounds, shillings and pence" or pronounced ) is the popular name for the pre-decimal currencies once common throughout Europe, especially in the British Isles and hence in several countries of the ...
References
External links
Coinage Act, 1926Irish Coinage website - catalogue - threepence
three-pence coin
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